Mister Ed premiered in 1961 and ran for four seasons. It was one of a rash of sitcoms in that era with elements of fantasy that included a visiting Martian, a witch married to a mortal and a talking car.

Young was already a well-known radio and TV comedian when he landed the role. He supposedly got the part after someone said he "looks like the kind of guy a horse would talk to."

(Originally published by CBSnews.com on Friday, May 20, 2016, at 6:53 p.m.)